About Me

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I have been married to my wife and hero (Stage 4 Breast Cancer Survivor) Stacy for 23 years. We have raised three awesome son's. Together Stacy and I have learned that true love can ONLY be tested through time. True Love is tested through hardships, boredom, and pain. True love has to whether through life's busyness, while withstanding the pressures of Job, family, and home, middle and old age. You determine whether the LOVE you have is true over time. Respect each other,encourage each other, and serve each other minute by minute, hour by hour...As time alone will tell!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Daily word

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord---how long? Psalm 6:1-3. This psalm is an individual lament from David. It is especially suited to one whose hard circumstances have led him to see his sins and to repent of them. The psalmist begs the Lord to refrain from verbal and physical punishment (rebuke…discipline). Though God disciplines His people, it is for correction and not destruction. The psalmist experiences suffering, probably a serious illness (I am languishing….my bones are troubled). Some take the language as figurative for spiritual distress. The psalmist boldly asks how long God will permit his suffering to continue. He desperately seeks relief from the One who is able to give it. If you haven’t begun already…begin today to look at the heart of the words as we walk through the psalms. Looking within himself, acknowledging his own place, then immediately turning the one who is able to bring help and healing. A great example of both faith and trust!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Daily Word

Make them bear their guilt. O God; let then fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. Psalms 5:10-12. The psalmist calls upon God to punish the wicked (let them fall by their own counsel) because they are guilty. Sin often brings its own retributive consequences. Often times we blame everything under the sun for the negative circumstances in our lives; seeking God to step in and save us from our woes and mishaps. We rarely look within ourselves to search out our own sin which may have brought about the retributive consequence of which we are walking through. Today own your part, repent, rejoice, exalt Him…and walk in His favor as covers you as with a shield!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sun)

God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. ~ Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sat)

We are saved by God’s grace when we believe in Jesus and put our faith in Him, but biblical belief is more than just something we confess with our mouths; it’s something we confess with our lives. ~ Kyle Idleman

Friday, April 26, 2013

Daily Word

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down before your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Psalm 5:7-9. The writer knows that he is different from the wicked only because of God’s grace (abundance of your steadfast love). Is own sin would destroy him if God did not have compassion on him as he approached Go’s presence. The psalmist protests his innocence by stating his desire to worship the Lord (will enter your house). “Your house” and “your holy temple” may refer to the site where the temple would be built, or perhaps the tabernacle of the psalmists own time. The path of safety that God opens (your way) is also the path of obedience to His will. (Destruction…open grave) Note how evil speech brings death. Meditate for a few minutes today, and be reminded that we come before God only through “the abundance of His steadfast love”; and we must continually pray that God will lead us to walk in the way that is morally straight.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Daily Word

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the blood thirsty and deceitful man. Psalms 5: 4-6. This is a poetic understatement (not a God who delights in wickedness). God hates sin. God is holy, “set apart” from all evil (evil may not dwell). Sinful people may not come into His presence without a substitutionary sacrifice. We cannot continue to live a life style so connected to the world that we are blinded by our own compromise to His Word. What is it that you no longer fell conviction over because you have allowed yourself to be blinded by compromise…remember, He is not a God who delights in wickedness…of any kind.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Daily Word

Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my king and my God, for to you I do pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. Psalm 5:1-3. This lament petitions the Lord in the midst of distress. However, the psalmist also expresses trust in the Lord’s protection. The psalmist’s distress is caused by the evil speech of the wicked. The Hebrew word (groaning) implies a kind of muttering or scarcely audible speech, as would accompany memorizing or reflection. David, Israel’s king, addresses God as King. He knows that his own kingship is a pale reflection of God’s. What is it that you consider a “sacrifice” to God? Some consider those things of the world that they have given up as a sacrifice. Consider today a sacrifice of “time”. Beginning each morning with time spent crying out to God. Laying before Him the business of your day, your life, and then watch...see Him work in your life!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Daily Word

Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. (Selah) Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who would say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and whine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:4-8. (Words to the Godly) The singer (Psalmist) tells the godly not to give into the anger that would lead them to take revenge; instead they must remain steadfast in their worship and trust. This (Be angry, and do not sin) should perhaps be taken as a conditional sentence: “If you feel anger at those who slander you (which you may well do), nevertheless do not sin by seeking revenge against them.” They way to prevent sin is to PONDER and BE SILENT: that is, reflect on how the Lord has shown Himself trustworthy. This does not discourage the faithful from using legal resources when necessary; instead it speaks against personal revenge that circumvents the law and consumes the lives of the vengeful. It is the practice of intimate prayer, and the daily study of His Word that enables you to ponder and be silent in times of anger…Which also can be a test of your maturity in Christ!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Daily Word

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Psalm 4:3-4. It seems that the psalmist is angry (My honor be turned into shame) at men who turn away from God to serve the false gods of the nation. The idols of the nations (seek after lies) are lies because they don’t really exist; they are figments of sinful imagination. The Hebrew word (Hasid) is the adjective form of “steadfast love” (Hb. Hesed). This term, variously rendered “godly”, “saint”, “faithful one”, and “holy one” in the Psalms, refer to those who have genuinely laid hold of God’s steadfast love; here it is singular, to stress that each faithful member of the people may have this confidence. If you attend your church once a week, and live out the rest of the week too busy to study His Word, or seek Him in prayer; then you may very well be living that life of loving vain words and seeking after lies. Without true knowledge of the Word you have no way of knowing whether or not what you hear each week is God’s truth or man’s truth. How can you expect to be set apart…when you fail to take the time to set apart your own life through Him?

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sun)

We must have faith; and let us not apologize for it, for faith is an organ of knowledge and can tell us more about ultimate reality than all the findings of science. We are not opposed to science, but we recognize its proper limitations and refuse to stop where it is compelled to stop. The bible tells of another world to fine for the instruments of scientific research to discover. By faith we engage that world and make it ours. It is accessible through the blood of the everlasting covenant. If we will believe we may even now enjoy the presence of God and the ministry of His heavenly messengers. Only unbelief can rob us of this royal privilege. ~ A. W. Tozer

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sat)

Our body is the most gracious gift God has given us, and if we hand over the mainspring of our life to God we can work out in our bodily life all that He works in. It is through our bodily lives that Satan works, and, thank God, it is through our bodily lives that God’s Spirit works. God gives us His grace and His Spirit; He puts right all that was wrong, He does not suppress it nor counteract it, but readjusts the whole thing; then begins our work. ~ Oswald Chambers

Friday, April 19, 2013

Daily Word

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! Psalm 4:1. Like Psalm 3 this Psalm (4) was composed in distress, and the psalmist exhibits a deep confidence in God. Both Psalms meditate on faith in the night. The righteous have nothing to fear, because God hears their prayers and cares for them. The righteous are not without sin, but are in a covenant relationship with God. The imperative verbs in this verse (Answer me….my righteousness) show the boldness of the psalmist in prayer. He can fearlessly call on God because He knows that God is his righteousness. How often do you enter into prayer whether in distress or not with abandon confidence, and complete boldness knowing He is your righteousness; that you have nothing to fear?

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Daily Word

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” Psalm 2:4-6 Since the Lord is not dismayed, neither do his people need to be, God laughs at the rebels and declares his firm purpose to establish the throne of David as he has promised. The Lord counters the plotting of the kings by pointing to the establishment of His messianic King, prefigured in the temporal monarchy of Jerusalem. Again, it doesn’t matter who man appoints to govern at any level…God is, and has always been in control. As children of God we must look towards the future of a worldwide rule from the house of David calls for a ruler who is more than a mere man!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Daily Word

Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” Psalm 2:1-2. This is a perfect reminder that it we are to trust in God alone when it comes to government. We should not be surprised at those things which man does as he is only following his nature. Be reminded that no matter how things may appear on the outside…God is ALWAYS in control.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Daily Word

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:5-6. The two ways of life (the Lord knows the way) are determined by one’s relation to the Lord. The ideal of righteousness is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. What does your relation to the Lord determine about you right now?

Monday, April 15, 2013

Daily Word

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Psalm 1:3-4. As Joseph prospered in Egypt, so will the righteous man. He is compared to a luxuriant tree, ever blooming because water is near. The contrast is strong. The wicked are compared to dead and rootless plants. A puff of wind carries them away. What does it mean to be prosperous in your eyes? Is it a Spiritual view or a worldly view? One who is rooted and planted in His Word remains strong and is prosperous. However, without His Word actively working in and through your life you will ultimately wither and die…That path is easley recognized as when the trials and tribulations that life brings comes their way…they are driven about like chaff in the wind!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sun)

God does not communicate things to us so much as He just is Himself in us. We are the vessels, the containers, so the first work after the new birth is to cultivate the habit of receptivity. ~ Norman Grubb

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sat)

The presence of God is a fact of life. We may, by defying the purpose of God, insulate ourselves from that presence. We may, by unrepented sin, cut off the sense of God because we are clouded by a sense of guilt. We may through, no fault of our own, be unable to sense the God who is all about us. But the fact remains that He is with us all the time. ~ J.B. Phillips

Friday, April 12, 2013

Daily Word

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:1-2. A stronger word than “happy” (blessed); to be “blessed” is to enjoy God’s special favor and grace. The righteous man is described by what he avoids (walks not…nor stands…nor sits). There is a downward progression in the verbs “walks”, “stands”, “sits.” The righteous man is described as someone who loves (his delight) the law of God. “Law” can refer to a specific command, but also to the whole scripture. The righteous person grows by an obedient response to the scriptures, which expresses the will of God…. STOP… Right now, take a long, hard, and deep look at yourself. Whose counsel are you following? Is your life as blessed as it could be or do you find yourself in an area of downward progression? If you find this to be true of you today…Repent, and return to the law of the Lord…as the righteous person loves and studies it.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Daily Word

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is king of peace. Hebrews 7:1-2. The central point of this chapter is that the solemn promise of Ps. 110:4 was fulfilled only in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ eternal priesthood is explained in terms of the two OT texts that mention Melchizedek (Gen 14:17-20, Psalm 110:4). The introduction of Melchizedek emphasizes that he was a king as well as a priest. As such he is a type of Christ, who is our prophet, priest, and king. “Salem” was apparently an ancient name for Jerusalem. How does Jesus as prophet, priest, and king play out in your walk with Christ?

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Daily Word

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtains, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20. Our life’s anchor is secured (the inner place behind the curtain) in the innermost section of the heavenly tabernacle, the original from which earthly sanctuary was modeled. Entrance to the inner sanctuary (has gone as a forerunner) is not possible without Jesus. He went in first, so that his people could follow. As Christians our hope is in the person and saving works of Jesus. Our hope provides security and stability for the soul. Be assured today that Because He has gone on before us that He has made the way for each of us to draw near into that place of the holy of holies. When was the last time you slowed down long enough to enter?

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Daily Word

For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for conformation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled from refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:16-18. God’s oath bound promise was not only for Abraham but for all who follow in his footsteps. God’s unchanging, purpose was to bless the world through the seed of Abraham; the meaning of this was revealed in the gospel. The unchanging promise God conveyed to Abraham and the oath that confirmed it raising it above all uncertainty or distrust. The oath confirms that the promise was indeed the purpose of God. Hang on to this passage for future reference the next time you find yourself doubting the promises of God!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sun)

Christianity is neither contemplation nor action. It is participation. Contemplation is looking at God as if He were an object. But if you participate in God in the sense that you let yourself be penetrated by Him, you will go to the cross like Him, you will go to work like Him, you will clean shoes, do the washing up and the cooking, all like Him. You cannot do otherwise because you will have become part of Him. You will do what He loves to do. ~ Louis Evely

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Weekend Quote (Sat)

Fellowship with God leads straight to obedience and good works. That is the divine order and it can never be reversed. ~ A.W. Tozer.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Daily Word

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:13-15. Faith can endure patiently because God’s oath secures His promise to us, as it did to Abraham. Our confidence rests in the eternal high priesthood of Jesus after the order of Melchizedek, a priesthood secured by divine promise and oath. That God whose “word is truth,” should reinforce the surety of that infallible promise through an oath underscores the permanence and seriousness of the divine promise. While sinful and fallible human beings “swear by something greater” than themselves, God, the highest authority, “swore by himself.” The divine promise and oath was God’s response to Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac, the child of divine promise, in obedience to divine direction. In the birth and then the rescue of Isaac, Abraham did receive the promised blessing of offspring. Nevertheless, he did not see the complete fulfillment of those covenantal promises. The word is full of God’s promises for you. Those promises are fulfilled in His time and not ours. Our requirement is to demonstrate faith that endures patiently. What promise have you given up on lately?

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Daily Word

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things- things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:9-12. By bearing firstfruits of a useful crop, the readers give reason for confidence that they will prove to be the land that receives God’s blessing of salvation. Still, they must shake off their present sluggishness to receive the inheritance promised to patient believers. The severity of the previous warning should not lead to despair. Because the goal of faith is in the future (hope), the faithful must “hold on until the end.” Abraham is the preeminent example (through faith and patience inherit the promises); but biblical history is full of witnesses who have run the course of patient faith ahead of us, and have now received the promised inheritance through Christ’s perfecting work. When was the last time you felt “sluggish” in your faith, and how do you walk through faith and patients in your relationship with Christ?

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Daily Word

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8. According to the Prophetic imagery of the OT, the ground is God’s people, and the rain falling on it is the word or the Spirit of God. The unproductive field is destroyed. Today, many claim to be a Christian. You cannot simply believe that there is a “God”, or a “higher power.” Because you attend church once a week, have a Christian radio station set on your car radio to listen to once in a while, and where a cross around your neck because it looks good. Doesn’t qualify among those things that God receives as honoring Him. Confession, submission, and obedience are the first steps…And they produce in you a cultivated life that produces a crop useful in His service and honorable in His sight!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Daily Word

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age too come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since, they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:4-6. (Once been enlightened) That is, had the knowledge of God disclosed in the gospel message and publicly confessed baptism. In early Christian writings, conversion and baptism were sometimes termed “enlightenment.” The Greek word for “once” is prominent in Hebrews. It is used in connection with the once-for-all sacrifice in Christ. Some see here (tasted the Holy gift) a reference to participation in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Or the phrase could be paired with “enlightenment” as a broad description of apparent conversion. They had some experience (shared in the Holy Spirit) with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it is not necessary to conclude that regeneration is specifically intended. Most obviously, (signs to come) the signs and wonders that accompanied the introduction of the gospel. You cannot turn your back on something you never had in the first place. One either fully submits to Christ or does not there is no partial commitment.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Daily Word

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washing's, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. Hebrews 6 1-3. These (elementary doctrines) ABC’s of Christian doctrine, which are now briefly enumerated. All these doctrines can be found in the Book of Acts. The plural is unexpected (washing's/baptisms); there is only one Christian baptism. Yet even today when Christian baptism is discussed, other baptisms, at least John the Baptist’s, must be mentioned. This was certainly true in NT times. Another possibility is that the word refers specifically to OT ceremonial washings as part of the essential background for Christ’s work. The action (laying on of hands) accompanied blessing, healing the sick, ordination of church officers, and especially the gift of the spirit, which was associated with baptism. Alternatively, as is possible with “ washing's,” the writer may be referring to the OT foundation of Christ’s work. The conventional phrase (God permits) acknowledges the need for God’s help in learning and teaching Christian doctrine. Its use suggests that the material to follow is difficult, as indeed it is. Although verse three (last verse) is only eight words long. Foe me, it bears the weight of this entire passage. “And this we will do if God permits,” So many times we try to do things in our own power, and accomplish things according to our own agenda failing to rely on God. We accomplish that which God alone permits, and often time take way to much credit for ourselves rather than giving it the one who permitted our victories in the first place. Maturity is being able to recognize from where our accomplishments come. Take time today to thank, and give God His due glory for all that He has permitted you to accomplish this far in your life!